


My Hero(A Camren One-Shot)

by ToDryHerEyes



Category: Fifth Harmony (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkward Flirting, Co-workers, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/F, Gay, Late at Night, One Shot, Protection, Relationship(s), Remake, Secret Identity, Vigilantism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:40:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23355616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToDryHerEyes/pseuds/ToDryHerEyes
Summary: Camila Cabello has always been a fan of late-night strolls- until she was held at gunpoint, that is. Just when she thought her life was over, a mysterious woman swoops in and saves her life. Before Camila could find out more than her name, the woman disappears, and Camila is left with only the memory of her eyes. A month later, she still hadn't identified the woman from that night after weeks of trying, but she soon begins to forget about her when a new co-worker of hers, Lauren Jauregui, invites her out on a date. *Please read the trigger warning in the beginning note!*
Relationships: Camila Cabello/Lauren Jauregui
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20
Collections: Fifth Harmony





	My Hero(A Camren One-Shot)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NoMoreSilentTears](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoMoreSilentTears/gifts).



> *Trigger Warning: Main character is at gunpoint in the first few paragraphs! Skip the first 6-7 paragraphs to avoid that part, or skip to the first page line to skip the scene altogether!*
> 
> Hello. I bring you another one of my few revised one-shots. The one difference is that I decided to use a new fandom for this old one I've written. The original one was about 2000-2500 words, and was a "reader-insert" with Mysterion/Kenny McCormick being the love interest. I've planned this version of the one-shot for about a year and a half now, and I just now put it in the works. Please mind the awkward description, this will be my first published work since August of 2019, I believe. I went on a long hiatus and i am just getting back on the writing horse. I'm excited to be back and I hope you enjoy, and let me know any issues you have with it. It's not exactly perfect, but I hope I can offer you temporary entertainment.

Camila Cabello walks down the vacant streets at 12 in the morning, feeling calm and peaceful, which is a big step-up considering all the stress that has been piling up on her these past few weeks. Midnight strolls were what calmed her down these days. Her best friend and roommate, Dinah Jane, looks at her crazy each night she steps out that door, as most people would be afraid to be outside in the city late at night, and Camila used to be one of them. Now, she sees no reason to fear taking a walk this late. The only living beings she seems to notice while walking are the occasional stray dogs and cats hanging around, and possibly some other people that don't seem to bother with her. She feels safe and sound walking at night, and nothing could change that.

Suddenly, she hears a scream coming from the alley nearby. "Help!" A lady yells. Part of Camila urges her to run away as fast as possible until she reaches her apartment, but another part of her wants to help the lady. What if something happens to her, and she was able to stop it? Now, she knows the logical thing to do would be to walk into the situation as carefully and stealthy as possible, but Camila was the type to panic, so she speeds into the alley where she saw a man in a mask holding a woman at gunpoint and her purse.

Camila freezes in shock. She wasn't expecting to be handling a gun or a six-foot man, but she knows she has to think fast before someone got hurt. With all her power, she charges towards the man facing the opposite way to grab the gun, but he reacts quickly by snatching her arm and pulling her into a headlock. The lady is instantly released from his grasp, and she looks at the two with fear, unsure of what to do next. Camila eyes her with a plead for help, and the woman looks back with sympathy. "What are you looking at? Get going!" The man snaps with his hand over Camila's mouth.

"I'm sorry." The woman retrieves her purse from the ground and speeds off as quickly as possible. 

_That's what I get for trying to help, apparently,_ Camila thinks to herself. "Wait! Come-"

"Shut up!" The man scolds her, pushing the gun towards her temple with force. "No one is coming for you." She sobs silently, hoping for somebody to come to the rescue. She's petrified that if she fights back, he'll immediately pull the trigger.

As he is seconds away from making a fateful decision, a mysterious woman with a mask swoops down from the top of the building and knocks the gun from his hands. Without hesitation, he releases Camila from his arms in an attempt to recover the weapon, causing Camila to fall backwards. Before he could snatch it, the woman grabs him from his shoulders, shoves him to the wall, and smashes his nose with her knee. She takes the weapon and places it on her person, and the man flees from the scene before she could react, unarmed and injured. "That man-" The woman scoffs, "Is powerless without a gun in his hand."

She turns towards Camila, who was shivering and sitting on the ground where she fell, and walks towards her. She kneels down and removes her jacket and places it over Camila's shoulders. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Camila continues to shiver, clutching the jacket over her arms and avoiding eye contact with the other girl. "Yeah- I mean, no- I mean- I'm alright, and I'm not...harmed."

"Do you need me to escort you home?" She offers, worried about the girl whose life she just saved, "I wouldn't want to leave you here alone after what just happened."

"N-no, I'm okay, thanks. I'm fine." The woman stares at her, feeling guilty at the thought of leaving her to head home by herself. "Seriously, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Camila looks up at her, noting her distinct, olive green eyes- as it is the only thing she can really see. She seems like someone working as a vigilante into the night- a mask concealing everything but her lips and eyes, loose dark brown hair, dark clothing(with a long-sleeved shirt and shorts), and a pair of black boots. Something tells Camila this wasn't her first time in a situation like this. "Thank you."

"It's nothing," She speaks with her deep rasp and a smile. "Well, I hope you make it home safe. Please don't stay out too long, these streets can be pretty dangerous." She stands up, heading towards the area she came from.

"Wait!" Camila calls out, causing the woman to stop in her tracks. "Who are you?"

" _La Ilusión_." She replies. _Of course she wouldn't tell me her actual name,_ Camila thinks, unsatisfied. "I'm Camila Cabello."

"Nice to meet you, Camz." She walks off towards the fence in the back of the alley and climbs it, disappearing into the night.

After that event, she rushes back to her apartment home at almost one in the morning, wanting to get back to safety as soon as possible. She silently steps into her room as to not wake her best friend and heads into her room with the jacket still wrapped around her shoulders. Hiding under the covers, she went into deep thought about the events of what happened earlier. She knows she would have to tell Dinah about what happened sooner or later. Although if there's one thing she's going to keep quiet about, it will be about the girl in the mask- that's going to be her little secret. 

* * *

It's been a month since Camila's fateful, nocturnal encounter with _La Ilusión,_ and she's still having dreams about her and the event almost every single night. She feels may be going a little 'crazy', but she cannot rest until she discovers the identity of that woman. The dreams are always the same thing: A disaster occurs, then _La Ilusi_ _ó_ _n_ shows up to help and save Camila. Each dream, she gets closer and closer to pulling off her mask, but never seems to make it. 

She sighs as she gets up to get dressed and prepare for the rest of the day. Since it's her day, she decided to head to the local cafe for a few cups of coffee and possibly a donut. After prepping herself, she steps out the house and drives to the cafe.

She parks her car, then walks towards the entrance. After she walks inside, she notes the big crowd hanging around the seating area. _Wow, I've never seen such a huge turn-out,_ She thinks to herself before walking towards an available couch with a window view of the city. She takes a seat and waits for the line to diminish while looking out the window at the people walking down the streets. It was a clear, sunny morning, which she would normally find rather painful for her eyes, and too happy' for her liking, but today, she's appreciating the atmosphere around here. She believes that the whole thing with _La Ilusi_ _ó_ _n_ and that man has changed her a bit too much, too fast, and she's not sure if she liked it or not. It's not like _La Ilusi_ _ó_ _n_ is ever going to return to this area again, or if she even wants to be seen by Camila ever again. Hell, she isn't even sure if the whole thing was a dream, or just some sort of coping mechanism she implanted into her memory somehow. 

Once she sees the line has gone down, she makes her way towards the counter where the barista, whose name-tag read _Veronica_ , stood with a bitter expression. "How can I help you?" She questions with in a monotone voice.

"Oh, hello!" She greets with a smile. The barista taps her fingers on the counter, waiting for her to say her order. "Um, I'll take a small cappuccino and a chocolate donut, please." 

"That'll be 4.95$." 

"Alright." Camila pulls out her purses and begins fishing through it. She pauses once she realizes her wallet was nowhere to be seen. She chuckles anxiously as she notes the barista eyeing her. "It must be in my bag somewhere. I know I brought my wallet." She frantically searches through it and then dumps it on the counter in desperation: nothing. "Okay, um...it seems like I left my money at home, but, um-"

"Alright, enough of this. I don't have time for this. I have customers waiting behind you. Either you have the money, or you don't. So goodbye- and bring your purse next time." She gestures towards the door.

Camila nods in defeat, and, after packing up her stuff, begins to speed walk towards the exit with her eyes fixated to the floor. It isn't until she feels a boiling hot pain on her chest while being pressed by another person on the hardwood floor when she she begins to pay attention to her surroundings. "Ah!"

The two stand up quickly, with Camila brushing off her clothes in a panic, coffee dripping off her soaked shirt. "Hey, what the hell?!"

The other girl eyes Camila with panic. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Are you okay, Camila?"

Camila looks up in confusion. "Cam-" Her face relaxes when she looks at the other girl and identifies her as Lauren Jauregui, a new employee at the company she works for. Camila has worked with her a couple of times before in a recent project they have been working on, and they have been getting along well, and they seem to have an eye on each other lately. "Lauren, oh my God, hey." She chuckles in relief. "I'm sorry, I'm just stressed out right now. Don't worry about any of this." 

"Are you sure?" Lauren questions with worry. "I have a spare jacket in my car I could get you-"

"Lauren, it's okay, really," She reassures. "I'm sure it's just a minor injury that can be fixed up with some Vaseline and a band-aid. Plus the coffee wasn't that hot, at least. It was actually kind of refreshing- um, I mean- I can deal with it." 

"But your shirt-"

"It's fine, really, it's fine. I can always buy a new one- I guess. I already got embarrassed once in these past couple of minutes. I can do it a second time." Camila glances at Lauren as she pats her shirt dry. "Are _you_ okay, though? I mean, I'm pretty sure _I_ bumped into _you_ , knowing me." 

She laughs. "Don't worry about me, I get bruised every now and then from what I usually do."

Camila raises an eyebrow at her remark. "What do you usually do?"

"Oh- you know, I like to, um, go out a lot."

"Oh, I see. Nothing good ever comes out of that. I mean- not that I _never_ go out, of course I do. I'm not like a vampire or anything- unless you think that's cool, or whatever. I mean-" She pauses, hoping her brain will come up with the right words to say. "It was nice to see you."

"Oh, wait, um-" Lauren inquires before Camila can walk out the door, "I can't buy you a coffee first? I mean, it's the _least_ I could do, right? She butchered you pretty roughly back there."

"You saw that...?" Camila asks with a shade of red forming on her cheeks.

"Yeah...yeah, I did. Sorry about her. She can be a little...testy sometimes. It's only to keep a stern outlook at work, but she's really chill, trust me," Lauren assures her.

"Right, okay, well- you really don't have to buy me anything." She politely declines, although secretly wanting to accept her invitation, seeing as she couldn't afford her own treat at the moment.

"No, no! It's definitely no trouble at all!" Lauren pushes, "After all, I did learn a useful thing or two from you at work. I think I can finally tackle my first project. This is how I want to repay you."

Camila decides to finally cave in. "Alright, alright! You can take me out- I mean- you can take me in, because we're already inside, you know. I mean, not in any implying that this is anything special, just buying a coffee, right?" Lauren awkwardly chuckles in response, leaving a silence between them for a moment until Camila breaks it. "Okay, let's go to the line then. The line that has gone down now, so, yay?"

They walk towards the counter where Veronica smiles at and greets Lauren, and then notices Camila standing next to her. "What are _you_ doing back here?"

"I, um, never left," Camila spits back softly.

Lauren clears her throat, "Vero, _I_ am going to pay for this little beauty's drink." She pulls out a five dollar bill from her pocket and passes it to Veronica. 

_Beauty?_ Camila reflects, smiling embarrassingly to herself. 

Veronica chuckles at the girl's comment, placing the five dollar bill in the register and handing her the change. "I see you- movin' on."

"Moving on?" Camila looks back slowly between the two. "Moving on from what, Lauren?"

"N-nothing, can I get my coffee now, Vero?" Lauren requests in an attempt to change the subject.

"You'll have to wait a couple of minutes, but here's that donut you wanted...?"

"Camila."

"Right. Next!"

The two girls walk themselves towards the couch near the window Camila was previously seated at. "Sorry about her- again. Like I've stated before, she can be a handful. But I'm sure you don't want to talk about that again, so, uh, Camila- how was your day so far?"

"Hm," Camila begins, taking a bite of her donut before continuing. "Woke up, went to a cafe, got yelled at, embarrassed myself, saw you, embarrassed myself, got a donut." She jokes as she takes another bite. "How was yours?"

"Ah, right," Lauren laughs to herself. "Uh, I just woke up, improvised on how I can work on that new project of ours for work, and then I decided to come here for a break, and then I saw- er, crashed into- you. Then I bought you a donut."

The two giggle with cheeks burning red. "So, how's the project going, Miss Jauregui? Any improvements since we've last discussed this?"

"Um, not really. I guess I'm stuck with this one book. I can't through half of it, and I'm not sure if that means I should go ahead and tell her I'm not interested in using her book for the project or if I should man up and read the whole thing in hopes that it'll get better- oh, look at me talking about stupid shit," Lauren laughs in embarrassment.

"Hey, it's my job," Camila reassures. "I've dealt with this for over a year now. Sometimes you like a book, sometimes you don't. If you wanna make it out with a successful project and a successful client, you gotta let them know what you think. Nicely, of course."

"Oh, right, definitely."

"Lauren!" Vero calls from the counter. "Here ya go. Have fun," She exclaims with a wink before walking back to the register.

"Ha-ha." Lauren remarks before reaching for the coffee and handing it to Camila. "Here you go, boss."

"Oh, I'm not- I'm not there, yet," She comments modestly, scratching the back of her neck. "Listen, I have to head back home, but I guess I'll see you at work tomorrow?"

"Wait!" Camila turns back towards Lauren to hear her request. "What if we...discussed this over a dinner tomorrow? Preferably after work?"

"Oh, um, sure! I would like that. Maybe at around 9?" Camila suggests.

"Oh, I would really prefer it if we could hang out a little earlier. My shift ends at 5, if that's okay?" Lauren opposes. "Nights aren't good for me- really busy."

"Oh, what do you do?"

"Um- I work a second job. 7/11. Gives me extra money for rent and stuff."

"Right." Camila suspects something is up, but decides to shake it off. "Well, okay, 5 it is. My shift ends at 4ish so i guess I'll wait around for you? I'll probably be at the lobby."

"Alright! Well, let's get going." The two walk out the cafe and head to their cars, which are coincidentally right next to each other. "Oh, um, well I guess this is our goodbye? For now."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so. I have a lot of work ahead of me. But I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, of course." The two girls entered their cars and drove off.

As Camila drove her way home, she thought about the events that happened earlier that day at the cafe as she sipped on her cappuccino. How crazy was her luck? Was it a date she was going on tomorrow afternoon? 'Was it really just a business meeting'? All she knew for now was that her best friend was going to freak out when she hears the news.

"Oh my God, Chancho!" Dinah screams into her ear, excited after hearing today's news. "I told you she liked you, didn't I, girl?" She screeches, pulling Camila by her arms off the couch to do a little victory dance. "So, where's the big dinner gonna be at? Maybe at Luigi's, the fanciest Italian place in town, or Rostro's? Or both!"

"Actually-" Camila starts, sitting herself back down and pulling Dinah with her, "I didn't get any information about that. Well, I was in a hurry! Anyways, maybe she'll come up with a plan during work and I'll just follow her somewhere."

"I guess. I mean, maybe it'll be fun- surprise dates are really cute," She gushes. "But are you sure you'll be okay? You haven't really went out since _that_ happened."

"CheeChee, I'm fine. I told you, the guy suddenly changed his mind and ran off in the middle of it. He's not coming back to hurt me and I know it. I'm positive..." _I hope so_ , she thinks to herself. She grabs her best friend's hand with hers to comfort her and rests her head on her chest.

"Oh, I know, girl," Dinah mutters while rubbing the other girl's head. "I'm just glad you're safe now. And you've scored a date with a cute girl. Now, let's get back to dancing."

"Heck yeah!" The two girls stand up and continue dancing.

The next day at five, after working a little extra, Camila wraps up her shift, clocks out, and waits around in the lobby for Lauren. Although she is anxious at the thought of the date starting, as well as the possibility of it going downhill within seconds, she is also terrorized with boredom. She feels ridiculous standing around the large lobby aimlessly, seeing as a few of her coworkers have passed by to ask her what was up. She merely shrugs their questions off by mumbling something random to throw them off guard, which usually does the trick.

Thirty minutes have flown by and Camila was starting to doubt the older girl would appear anytime soon. She began to convince herself that it was all some huge joke, or that it really was a business meeting she was asked to and she decided to cancel to actually work on the project itself. Of course, Camila was always to type to have doubts about everything, so she doesn't know what to believe.

Fortunately for Camila, a certain Cuban appears behind her, tapping her shoulder and waving vigorously at the younger girl once her attention is caught. "Hey, Camz!" 

A bright smile forms on the younger girl's face. "Hey, Lau-" She freezes, a flashback suddenly popping into her mind.

_"Nice to meet you, Camz."_

"I'm sorry, what did you just call me?" Camila questions a confused Lauren.

"I-"

"Nevermind, uh, sorry. Let's start this over. Hey, Lauren. So, are we just going to dinner in these clothes?"

"Well, I say we look pretty good. Especially you." She remarks with a smirk, causing Camila to become flustered.

"Um, thanks. Your car or mine?" 

"Well," Lauren begins her response, heading towards the outside of the building with Camila, "I came here on the bus. I left my car for my roommate today so she could get to her dance lessons- so I guess yours?"

"Oh, um, okay. I suppose you can drive- I don't know if you made the dinner plans tonight." Camila unlocks her car doors and enters the passenger's seat as Lauren takes a seat in the driver's. She turns up the stereo as she connects her phone to the bluetooth, playing The 1975.

Lauren's face lights up. "I didn't know you liked them! They're one of my favorite artists!"

"Wow, that's crazy! I can never seem to find anyone at work who likes them, so I'm always jamming to myself during my break. Not that I'm a loser or anything."

"No, no of course not," Lauren laughs loudly, dancing in her seat to the beat of the song.

After about twenty minutes of driving and jamming almost-endlessly to the music, Lauren stops at a local French restaurant called _Nova_. Camila has never visited the place, considering it was considered 'costly', but she has heard nothing but good things about the place. She's surprised Lauren decided upon a place like this, as she imagined they were dining out casually, but she is nothing but excited to try out the place the town has been raving about.

"Come on, slowpoke!" Lauren teases, jogging towards the entrance, to which Camila follows suit.

After they are greeted by the hostess, they take a seat at a booth and are given menus and time to decide. "Wow, Lauren, this place is amazing."

"I know. The owner is an old family friend, so I pretty much get a discount or two every time I come here. It's pretty sweet," She states with a proud smile, impressing the younger girl. "I can take you here more often, if you'd like."

"Wow, not even ten minutes and already planning a second date." Camila automatically rethinks her statement, attempting to hide her embarrassment for the words she spoke. _Crap._

She expects Lauren to laugh incessantly, or to become disgusted, but instead, a bright shade of red forms across her cheeks and she is left speechless.

"Oh, I didn't-" Before Camila can complete her redemption sentence, she smirks to herself, seeing how flustered the other girl has become and believes her and Dinah's theories on today being a 'date' may have been correct.

"Uh," Lauren begins with a harsh chuckle, "Yeah, right. Sorry, that sounded stupid. We don't have to come here, or anywhere, for that matter, if that is not okay with you- I totally get it."

"Lauren, it's okay. I'm into it." This reassurance causes the older girl to smile sweetly, both girls glancing downwards at the table.

An hour and a half or so has passed and the two girls are finishing up their dinner while laughing audibly during their conversations. "And now we're best friends! We went from hating each other's guts to loving them," Camila concludes, taking a sip of her dinner wine before setting it back down.

As she does this, Lauren stares at her, biting her lip. Camila looks up, causing her to turn away. "What is it?" Camila questions with a chuckle.

"Nothing, I just think you're pretty."

"Wow, blunt. Thank you, though, I feel the same- About you! Not me, why would I feel the same about _me?_ That's just weird, right? Nothing against self-confidence, though, if that's your thing." She facepalms her forehead, avoiding eye contact with the older girl.

"Whoa, whoa, hey," She spouts with a laugh. "Thank you, for also calling me pretty- I think," She voices with a rasp.

"You're welcome," Camila replies with a soft smile, eyes meeting with the other girl. _I never noticed how green her eyes are,_ Camila contemplates to herself- her green eyes are the most beautiful sight one could ever see, and they show a million stories waiting to be heard. _They're almost...familiar._ She then takes a quick glance at her hair, which was long and dark brown, like she's seen before. _Camila, everyone has long, dark brown hair. That doesn't mean anything._ She gazes back into her eyes and realizes their faces were much closer than before. She glances down at her lips, her smile, and thinks, _She's so close, I could kiss her._ They move in towards each other, closing their eyes when a loud alarm beeped, causing Camila to jump.

"Oh, God, it's already 8?!" Her green eyes jump towards the window at the night sky. "Crap, I can't be here." Lauren leaves a wad of cash on the table, not bothering to leave the right amount. "Look, Camz- please make it home safe. These streets can be pretty dangerous, so please stay in your car." Before Camila could reply, Lauren sprints out the front door.

"Lauren, wait, you-"

_"Well, I hope you make it home safe. Please don't stay out too long, these streets can be pretty dangerous."_

_What the hell,_ Camila thinks. Instead of standing around and thinking about the possibilities of what might be happening, she decides to take action and runs out towards where Lauren went. "Lauren! Lauren, wait!"

Lauren freezes in place, giving into the small girl's voice. "Camila, this isn't safe for you. You need to go back inside."

"And you need to not tell me what to do," Camila snaps back, frustrated. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Camila, you could get hurt again, or worse. So please, for your own safety, please," She begs.

"I'm not a child, I-" She pauses, thinking back to Lauren's words. "What the hell do you mean _again?"_

"I-" Before she could answer the confused girl's question, she's interrupted by an ear-piercing scream coming from the alley. "Oh, crap." Before running towards the alley, she turns to Camila, eyes filled with woe. "I'm sorry," She whispers softly before running off into the direction of the scream.

But Camila wasn't having it. Something is going on and she's determined to figure out the other girl's secret, so she followed Lauren. After about half a minute of running, she seems to have lost track of the older girl. However, once she notices an alley nearby, she storms towards it and gapes when she sees what has now answers her month-long questions.

The same green-eyed girl who she sat in a restaurant and laughed for hours with was now wearing a similar black mask and boots as the girl she's seen before. " _La Ilusi_ _ó_ _n._ "

Rather than pay attention to the secret just discovered by the younger girl, Lauren runs towards the two people in the alley. When she sees the guy holding a gun, she immediately pulls the guy away from the woman with harsh force, causing him to wallop on the ground.

"Oh my God," Camila mutters, placing a hand over her heart when she notices the weapon that is now placed on the ground. Lauren notices this and grabs the gun to throw under the dumpster, hidden from sight.

_"Shut up! No one is coming for you!"_

The unknown woman grabs the phone from her purse and begins to dial a number, placing the phone over her ear. Meanwhile, the man sits up and grabs Lauren by the arm, pulling her downwards, causing Camila to rush over and pull Lauren away. "Get off of her, you piece of-" She begins to violently and repeatedly kick the man on the ground while, to Lauren's surprise.

"Camila!" She calls out in fear as the smaller girl kicks with all her might, but there was no response- it was as if she blacked out. "Camila, stop, he's down! He's down! He can't hurt you! He can't hurt anybody!" Lauren grabs the small girl by her waist and pulls her away.

Camila begins to breathe heavily, coming back to reality. She tries to forget Lauren is there and rushes to the woman who was the victim of the now-subdued perpetrator. "Are you okay?" She asks, placing her cold hands on her cheeks. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay, I'm okay. Thank you guys." She places her phone back into her purse. "He tried to grab my purse and almost pulled out his gun, but then you guys came in. I was so scared, I don't know what could have happened!"

"I understand how you feel," She whispers, bring the woman into a hug. "Im so, so sorry that happened to you," She mumbles, a tear falling down her cheek. "You didn't deserve that."

The woman hugs back, smiling sweetly at the gesture given by Camila. "Thank you."

Lauren watches the two converse, feeling a tinge of guilt in her heart for what they went through. She opens her mouth to speak, but is startled when loud sirens emerge from a distance and the bright flash of blue and red make their way towards the alley. "Crap."

The two girls hugging release each other looking towards the alley opening where they see a couple of vehicles surrounding the area and lights exposing their spot, causing them to cover their eyes with their hands. "Lauren, they came for us!" Camila rejoices with a smile. However, her smile falters when she sees no sign of the green-eyed girl.

Twenty minutes pass and the police have now apprehended the perp and sealed the weapon that was hidden under the dumpster. They placed a blanket over tonight's victim and after talking to both her and Camila, the younger girl made her way to the back of the alley, hoping to find the older girl. "Psst, Camila."

Camila searches around for the source of the voice and beams brightly once she finds it. "Lauren!" She runs towards her, receiving a 'shh' from the green eyed girl. "What happened? Why did you run? Why are you hiding? Why didn't you tell me you were _La Ilusi_ _ó_ _n_ when you found out it was me, when we met three weeks ago, or when we actually met a month ago?"

"Nobody can know who I am. Nobody can know I exist. All I can do is spend my nights saving those in need and to keep them safe. Besides, I saw you as a really nice person and I started crushing on you, and I didn't want to ruin anything we had, or could have had. I can apologize for being complicated, but I will not apologize for being who I am because I saved you that night and I'm so happy I did because the world needs Camila Cabello, and damn it, I'm gonna make sure the world has Camila Cabello."

"You can't be mad at the girl, she was only trying to protect you," A voice steps in, which the girls immediately recognized to be the woman from before. The three girls laugh in harmony, and Lauren wraps an arm around Camila.

"I know, I know. Thank you so much for that. I'm sure my best friend is happy I'm here. I guess I kinda obsessed over who _La Ilusi_ _ó_ _n was_ and you come along and I fall for you, so I kinda start forgetting who she was- and that she is you. It's just a weird feeling, y'know?"

"You hear that?" The woman steps in once again with a giggle, "She fell for you!"

"You know what? I think she has," Lauren teases, causing Camila to blush. "And you know what else? I think I have, too." Lauren leans in to plant a kiss on the younger girl's lips, leading to the both of them erupting in smiles.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," The woman exclaims while clapping. "And don't worry, girl- your secret's safe with me." The two girls giggle loudly, keeping their eyes on each other.

"I should go. Camila, maybe you can take her home or something? I don't want you guys out here alone at night. It's pretty dangerous out."

"You really love saying that," Camila points out. "Yeah, I'll take her home. I'll see you tomorrow?" They all bid their goodbyes as Camila and woman head back to where the policemen were. Lauren jumps over the fence and disappears into the night. Camila turns her head towards where they were standing, smiling to herself as she quickly relives all the memories with her in her head.

"You alright?" The woman asks when she notices Camila stopped.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."

* * *

Another month later, Camila and Dinah sit on Lauren's couch as they all finish up their meals. "Walz, I still can't believe you didn't tell me about any of this when you came home that night."

"I didn't want you to think I was crazy. Besides, it was fun keeping a secret while it lasted." She's shocked when a pillow makes way towards her torso.

"Hey, some of us are trying to _watch_ the movie!" Lauren's roommate and best friend, Normani, remarks, entering a slice of pizza to her mouth when she's attacked by the very same pillow. "Hey!"

"Guys, calm down. Let's not get too wild in here," Ally Brooke, the woman from before, speaks in an attempt to alleviate the pillow fighting, only to get a pillow thrown at her as well. "Hey!" All four girls erupted into laughter.

"Hey, what did...I miss?" Lauren returns from the bathroom to the group of girls yelling and shouting.

"This!" Ally throws a pillow her way, causing Lauren to gape at what just happened. She grabs the pillow off the floor and throws it back at the group in vengeance. 

After a couple of minutes of child-play, they are all wiped out on the couch. "You're not bad, Jauregui," Dinah speaks up. "I semi-expected you to be a complete bore."

"Uh, thanks?" Lauren furrows her eyebrows, followed by a chuckle.

"Dinah is just looking out for me, but she very much appreciates what you did," Camila defends.

"I know. And I'm glad you're willing to keep this all on the down-low, Dinah. Same with you, Ally."

"Hey," Ally begins, "What did I tell you the night you helped me? 'Don't worry-"

"Your secret is safe with me'- I know," She recalls with a thankful smile."

"Can we finish the movie now?" Normani asks the girls.

"Of course."

After a few hours into the night, all of the girls have passed out on the couch. Camila, however, has just woken up from her deep slumber and sees that it was about three A.M. She lies there next to Lauren, resting her head on her shoulder as she thinks back on the dream she just had. She had the same dream of _La Ilusi_ _ó_ _n_ last night that she kept having over a month ago. But there was something different this time; She got caught in a bad situation, but was then saved by the mysterious vigilante. She reaches her arm towards the mask-

And she finally pulls it off.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed, and if you didn't, for any reason, please let me know- I really appreciate any feedback you might have. I'm sorry, I sounded a little rusty here, but I was mostly going by an old version, which was pretty difficult to pick up, but I tried as much as I can to separate both stories without going to far. I had fun publishing and writing again, and I hope to do more. Goodbye xx.


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